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aelwood's review against another edition
5.0
This was a nice, quick read, with a nice twist at the end.
kitnkat's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
stevem0214's review against another edition
4.0
Good, but not my favorite Spenser novel. I like a little more interaction with Hawk and this one was a shorter than usual book.
sandin954's review
3.0
Spenser is hired by a regional newspaper to find out who killed their reporter who was investigating the cocaine trade in a small town. Classic Spenser story with help from Hawk and Susan. Listened to the audio version read by another classic Michael Prichard.
gsatori's review against another edition
4.0
One of the better in the series. Spenser is investigating a reporter's disappearance and finds himself in the middle of murder, drug trafficking and police corruption. Parker's ability to tell a story with economy is inspiring.
koshpeli's review against another edition
3.0
Going through a reread of all the Spenser books in order. I must say this one was ok but had a lot of potential to be more.
I liked some of the psychological aspects of it, but they could have dug deeper. The two lead female characters (excepting Susan of course) are presented as quite complex. That was refreshing honestly. Parker has done that before but not quite like this. But that complexity isn’t explored till the end and then not in much depth. Just enough to solve the mystery.
The concept of a town either bought and paid for or under the oppressive thumb of a drug lord could have been taken further. The level of the threat to Spenser and the members of the town is also presented inconsistently. In particular. We’re starting to enter that era where Spenser and Hawk are able to easily beat everyone, even people we are told all book long are super tough.
That being said, the book was fun to read and entertaining!
I liked some of the psychological aspects of it, but they could have dug deeper. The two lead female characters (excepting Susan of course) are presented as quite complex. That was refreshing honestly. Parker has done that before but not quite like this. But that complexity isn’t explored till the end and then not in much depth. Just enough to solve the mystery.
The concept of a town either bought and paid for or under the oppressive thumb of a drug lord could have been taken further. The level of the threat to Spenser and the members of the town is also presented inconsistently. In particular. We’re starting to enter that era where Spenser and Hawk are able to easily beat everyone, even people we are told all book long are super tough.
That being said, the book was fun to read and entertaining!
cameron_butterfly's review
3.0
3.5
I loved the overall book, but the pacing was slow in the beginning then lost its speed again at the end. The ending seemed like a copout but still well written. I enjoyed the characters and the way Susan and Spenser interacted together but Spenser’s humor with other characters seemed forced and dry. I do recommend giving it a read, it is quick and short!
I loved the overall book, but the pacing was slow in the beginning then lost its speed again at the end. The ending seemed like a copout but still well written. I enjoyed the characters and the way Susan and Spenser interacted together but Spenser’s humor with other characters seemed forced and dry. I do recommend giving it a read, it is quick and short!
bookhawk's review against another edition
3.0
Pale Kings and Princes contains less action than many books in the series but retains the excellent dialogue and notions exploring conscience between Spenser and Susan regarding unintended consequences. A solid 3.5 stars that remains good and entertaining 35 years after publishing.
lwalker77's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Spenser is hired to solve the murder of a newspaper reporter. Spenser stirs things up and the result is another good book in the Spenser series.